SandSifting Starfish

[Eric Noa]

Hey guys I have a question about SandSifting Starfish. I bought one a while back and it has grown a little bit since I got it and today I was looking at my tank and in the back glass and I notice a whole bunch or tiny tiny SandSifting Starfish, there are around 10 of them. Do theses guys required a mate to reproduce or do they reproduce by themselves because he or she is the only one in the tank.... well not anymore lol :)

 

[yote]

I bet what your calling baby sand sifters is really asterina stars.They hitch hike in.Then reproduce quick by dropping arms.

 

[Eric Noa]

Hmmm now Im not sure :)..... what do you mean by dropping arms?

 

[lilyicu]

I have hundreds of them. Half of them seem all broken. Some have three arms, Some have five arms. They are crawling everywhere. They are harmless.

 

[BL1]

The small star fish will lose one of it's legs, then a new starfish will grow from that leg. Do the starfish have 4-5 uneven legs?

 

[Eric Noa]

Some have 4 legs and others 5.... I think I even saw one with 6 but Im not sure since their so small...

Are they dangerous to corals?

 

[BL1]

If it is asterina stars they are not totally reef-safe Asterina Starfish - Invertebrate Information Database - Nano-Reef.com

 

[fastrd400]

I pull mine out when I see them, or can reach them. For the most part they are harmless, but they reproduce fast and can become a problem.

 

[Bifferwine]

You definitely have asterina stars.

I've seen them start to eat corals when their numbers get large enough. I think their primary food source is film algae on rocks and glass, but when there get to be too many of them, they deplete that food source and turn to the corals.

 

[Cottonwood]

I have a few of these...is there anything that eats them to keep the population in check?

 

[Bifferwine]

Harlequin shrimp will eat them -- but unless they have a constant supply of starfish they'll die, because they are specialists and only eat starfish.

 

[Eric Noa]

Thanks guys for the help...

 

[Ulta]

dang, I have a TON of these in my tank =( seen one just the other day that about the size of a quarter & had 6+ legs! I haven't seen them hurt any coral besides walking over some zoas occasionally, but after that article I wonder if that is what is happening to my coralline algae =(
I wish I knew somebody with harlequin shrimp, I bet I could feed them for a few months! I always thought they were awesome, but what an expensive diet!!!

 

[Bifferwine]

People that do keep a harlequin in their display usually keep a separate tank with starfish in it, and cut the starfish in half, or cut legs off to feed the shrimp. Since the starfish slowly regenerate, it's a constant food supply for them. But I think that's pretty damn gross.

 

[PRC]

If you use a turkey baster when you feed you can suck the little ones up with a turkey baster. The big ones you can flick off the rock and catch them with a net. I used to have a bunch of them, my kids loved them so I'd scoop them out and give them to them, they'd take them to school and give them to their friends.

 

[Ulta]

they'd take them to school and give them to their friends.

rofl.